RIG: Development of a General Use Phylogenomic Toolkit Using Iguanid Lizards and Phylogenetic Profiling

来自许多物种的基因组数据的快速可用性显着增加了系统学家可以用来准确恢复所有物种的生命之树的数据量。但是，某些数据类比其他数据类提供更多信息，以恢复准确的结果。该项目将探索来自核基因组的不同类别的DNA数据，并量化这些类别在两个样本蜥蜴群体中恢复不同分支的能力。将为每个组生成遗传信息图谱，该图谱确定基因对系统发育分析提供最多信息的最佳时间点。这项研究将产生一个基因组工具包，这将是广泛的效用，为所有脊椎动物系统学家，这将使他们能够确定基因是最翔实的生命之树地区，他们正在工作。作为该项目的一部分，本科生将接受系统学，生物信息学，数据库挖掘，实验室技术和统计分析等领域的广泛培训，并将有机会参加当地和国家科学会议。PI和他的本科生将为来自Akwesasne St. Regis Mohawk保留地的高中生举办为期一周的北方纽约生物多样性夏季研讨会，以促进该地区美洲原住民学生对科学的更大兴趣。

Rapid availability of genomic data from many species has significantly increased the amount of data systematists can use to accurately recover the Tree of Life for all species. However, some data classes are more informative than others for recovering accurate results. This project will explore different classes of DNA data from the nuclear genome and quantify the ability of these classes to recover different branches in two exemplar lizard groups. Genetic information profiles, which identify optimal time points when genes are most informative for phylogenetic analysis, will be generated for each group. This research will generate a genomic toolkit that will be of wide utility for all vertebrate systematists and that will enable them to identify genes that are most informative for the Tree of Life region on which they are working. As part of this project, undergraduate students will receive extensive training in fields such as systematics, bioinformatics, database mining, lab techniques, and statistical analysis, and will be given opportunities to attend local and national scientific meetings. The PI and his undergraduates will conduct a week-long summer workshop on Northern New York Biodiversity for high school students from the Akwesasne St. Regis Mohawk Reservation to promote greater interest in science among Native American students in the region.